Living Like Jesus: A Call to Radical Compassion Across Divides
What does it mean to be compassionate? What does it mean to touch the untouchable?
Jesus’ life answers these questions in ways that challenge every norm. He didn’t shy away from the uncomfortable or the controversial. He embraced it, often at great personal cost. His compassion crossed every line—social, religious, and political.
Consider His actions:
He spoke to the woman at the well, a Samaritan and a social outcast, whose public shame left her isolated.
He touched lepers, people society had quarantined for the sake of communal safety.
He healed a man born blind, defying the belief that his condition was punishment for sin.
He allowed the woman with the issue of blood, ceremonially unclean, to touch Him without rebuke.
He healed on the Sabbath, challenging religious leaders who prized rules over mercy.
He ate with sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes—those despised by polite society and viewed as traitors or moral failures.
He told a parable where the hero wasn’t a religious or political leader but a Samaritan, a member of a group despised by the Jews.
Jesus’ compassion wasn’t limited to individuals; it addressed the broader systems of exclusion and division in His world.
Compassion in Today’s Divided World
What does it mean to live with that same radical compassion today? How do we apply Jesus’ actions in a world divided by politics, race, class, and socioeconomic status?
The Woman at the Well: Bridging Social Shame
Today, the woman at the well might be someone on the margins—someone whose public failures or perceived sins leave them isolated. Maybe she’s a single mother, someone who’s been incarcerated, or a person struggling with addiction. How often do we, like the people of her village, avoid her instead of offering understanding?
The Lepers: Touching the Outcast
Who are the lepers in our modern society? They might be people experiencing homelessness, immigrants seeking refuge, or those with mental illness. Often, they’re excluded for the “greater good,” just as the lepers were cast out of cities in Jesus’ time. Rationalizing their exclusion is easy—but would Jesus touch them? Would we?
The Blind Man from Birth: Seeing Beyond Assumptions
The blind man could be someone trapped in generational poverty or a person born into systemic disadvantage. Society often blames their situation on poor choices or “lack of effort,” much like people once assumed physical ailments were caused by sin. Can we look beyond these assumptions and see their humanity?
The Woman with the Issue of Blood: Welcoming the Unwelcome
Today, she might be someone whose presence disrupts our spaces—a person who doesn’t fit in socially, economically, or politically. How do we respond when they reach out? Do we embrace them as Jesus did, or do we maintain our boundaries?
Healing on the Sabbath: Breaking the Rules for Love
What about those who come to us at inconvenient times or in ways that challenge the rules we cling to? Maybe it’s a person seeking assistance who doesn’t meet the “criteria” or a political group advocating for justice that disrupts our comfort. Are we willing to prioritize compassion over regulations, as Jesus did?
The Samaritan Hero: Confronting Prejudice
In a world fractured by political and ideological differences, who is the Samaritan today? Perhaps it’s the person who votes differently than we do, the activist we disagree with, or the immigrant we fear. Would we have the courage to tell a story where they are the hero?
Compassion Beyond Comfort
In modern times, we often default to political ideologies or legal frameworks to decide what’s right. Like the Pharisees, we rely on rules to avoid the messiness of compassion. But Jesus didn’t follow the playbook. His compassion was personal, inconvenient, and disruptive.
He didn’t simply address individuals—He challenged the systems and structures that marginalized them. He showed us that mercy transcends law, and love fulfills it.
A Call to Action
So how do we live like Jesus in our divided, modern world?
Across Political Divides: What if we saw people on the other side of the aisle not as enemies but as neighbors? What if compassion drove us to listen instead of argue?
Across Socioeconomic Gaps: Can we reach out to those struggling in poverty or living in excess, bridging the gap with generosity and humility?
Across Racial and Cultural Lines: Are we willing to confront our own biases and build relationships with people whose experiences differ from ours?
Jesus’ compassion didn’t just break barriers—it built bridges. In a world rife with division, we’re called to do the same. It’s not easy, and it’s not comfortable. But it’s the way of Christ.
True compassion doesn’t just meet the needs of individuals—it challenges systems of exclusion, prejudice, and injustice. And maybe, just maybe, it’s the only way we’ll ever find healing for our fractured world.
